AvocadoPear
This review may contain spoilers
I completely adored everything about this series except for the final episode
You have to know, first and foremost, that this drama is unique in that it is a truly emotionally complex Thai BL drama about something other than coming out. I love a good coming out story, but they’re done so frequently in this genre that it’s refreshing to see a series like this where that isn’t the point.
The story revolves around a relationship built on a somewhat shaky foundation coming apart as the cracks in that foundation are exposed. As Teh and Oh-aew grow up and discover themselves, they struggle to adapt their relationship to their changing personal identities. For most of the series, this is a story that is masterfully crafted.
Just like in ITSAY, the acting is superb, the cinematography is breathtaking, and the dialogue feels authentic. Nothing super cheesy, melodramatic, or reliant on harmful tropes or stereotypes about gay relationships. In terms of artistic quality and authenticity, it’s probably the best Asian drama series I’ve ever seen. For most of the series, I liked it even more than ITSAY.
The problem for me came at the end of the series. Quite simply, it felt rushed. Like the writers just knew that Teh and Oh-aew needed to be together in the end at all costs, so they cut corners to make it happen. And I’m doing so, they made me really dislike Teh because they created a situation where he basically repeated all of his bad behavior from ITSAY and was rewarded for it.
[SPOILERS]
He basically did everything wrong again: 1) leading a woman on while he was clearly in love with Oh-Aew. 2) Destroying his relationship with Oh-Aew and then trying (and failing) to use some grand gesture to repair the damage when all Oh-aew ever really wanted from him was communication and respect. 3) Ultimately convincing Oh-aew that he was committed to their relationship despite never truly taking accountability for the hurt he caused.
The series ended and I was left feeling like I still couldn’t trust Teh. And I think that could have been different if they hadn’t sped through basically two years of their lives just to force them to get back together in the end. In fact, I would have absolutely loved to see a third series that was completely devoted to them really mending their relationship and Teh taking the time to address the toxic behavior he continues to exhibit.
The last episode didn’t match the tone of the rest of the series for me, which was frustrating, because it was so brilliant otherwise!
The story revolves around a relationship built on a somewhat shaky foundation coming apart as the cracks in that foundation are exposed. As Teh and Oh-aew grow up and discover themselves, they struggle to adapt their relationship to their changing personal identities. For most of the series, this is a story that is masterfully crafted.
Just like in ITSAY, the acting is superb, the cinematography is breathtaking, and the dialogue feels authentic. Nothing super cheesy, melodramatic, or reliant on harmful tropes or stereotypes about gay relationships. In terms of artistic quality and authenticity, it’s probably the best Asian drama series I’ve ever seen. For most of the series, I liked it even more than ITSAY.
The problem for me came at the end of the series. Quite simply, it felt rushed. Like the writers just knew that Teh and Oh-aew needed to be together in the end at all costs, so they cut corners to make it happen. And I’m doing so, they made me really dislike Teh because they created a situation where he basically repeated all of his bad behavior from ITSAY and was rewarded for it.
[SPOILERS]
He basically did everything wrong again: 1) leading a woman on while he was clearly in love with Oh-Aew. 2) Destroying his relationship with Oh-Aew and then trying (and failing) to use some grand gesture to repair the damage when all Oh-aew ever really wanted from him was communication and respect. 3) Ultimately convincing Oh-aew that he was committed to their relationship despite never truly taking accountability for the hurt he caused.
The series ended and I was left feeling like I still couldn’t trust Teh. And I think that could have been different if they hadn’t sped through basically two years of their lives just to force them to get back together in the end. In fact, I would have absolutely loved to see a third series that was completely devoted to them really mending their relationship and Teh taking the time to address the toxic behavior he continues to exhibit.
The last episode didn’t match the tone of the rest of the series for me, which was frustrating, because it was so brilliant otherwise!
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